Five Kingdom Street

British Land has now submitted plans for the final plot of the Paddington Central development, known as Five Kingdom Street, to Westminster City Council.

British Land acquired Paddington Central in July 2013. Since our initial acquisition we have continued to invest in the campus, creating new green spaces and community facilities. The 11-acre campus is a thriving development that currently provides a mix of homes, offices, leisure and retail next to Paddington Station. Current tenants of Paddington Central include Microsoft, Visa, Accor, Kingfisher and Statoil.

The area is well served by Paddington Station, a major London rail and tube interchange with excellent connections and will further benefit from the opening of the new Crossrail connection. Paddington will be one of only three Crossrail stations in the West End, which will improve connections from the West End to the City and Canary Wharf.

The final piece of the masterplan
Paddington Central has become a successful and active destination, used by local residents, workers and visitors to the area. The plot at Five Kingdom Street is currently occupied by a short-term operator as a meanwhile use (Pergola); however, it has always been the intention to bring forward a development on this plot.

The proposed building will complete the wider Paddington Central masterplan and provides an excellent opportunity to link the Paddington area to the north and west by introducing a new pedestrian route and making the campus more accessible to the wider, surrounding neighbourhoods.

The proposals for Five Kingdom Street will provide a new office building along with an extensive new community, leisure and cultural offer for Westminster, delivering entertainment and leisure space as well as new restaurants, cafés and public spaces.

The consented scheme
The site has a pervious consent for a 13-storey commercial building, which was granted in 2010. Since the design of the earlier scheme a large space below the podium deck has been released by the Crossrail project. This gives us the chance to expand and improve on our original design.

Our proposal: the core principles

The following core principles have informed our proposal for Five Kingdom Street.

To create a new route linking Paddington to North Westminster

To provide a public garden at the heart of the building

To provide significant new community, leisure and cultural facilities

Indicative view of Five Kingdom Street from North of Paddington

Indicative view of Five Kingdom Street from Kingdom Street

Indicative view of the Box

Indicative view of approaching Five Kingdom Street

Indicative view of Five Kingdom Street from the Westway

Indicative view of inside the Box

Indicative view of inside the Box

Indicative view of the public winter garden

53,000m²

of office space

1,700m²

of cafés and restaurants

8,000m²

of flexible uses in the Box, plus a 1,000m² auditorium

The Box

Once Crossrail opens, a large volume of the space previously reserved for the construction of the railway will become available, this is known as the Box. The Box is a key element to the new proposals as it ensures that the development can contribute something extraordinary for the local community. The available space, set beneath Kingdom Street, is larger than the pitch at Wembley Stadium and could accommodate a wide range of functions requiring large volumes such as events, sports and leisure facilities, low-cost workspace, a market hall and community space.

We have consulted with local communities around the site to explore the type and mix of uses that could be provided in the Box, offering local people the chance to tell us what they would like to see provided as part of the development. We will continue to engage with the local community, the Council and potential operators to understand what uses we can accommodate and to ensure that the space is successful and sustainable in the long-term. We have applied for a range of uses in the Box to provide future flexibility.

Public benefits
For more information on the scheme's public benefits please click here.

Previous consultation

A process of public consultation was held over a nine-month period between August 2018 and April 2019.

In 2018, Basis, a leading market research company, undertook a comprehensive consultation exercise with local residents in the immediate area around Paddington Central. Over the course of the consultation 515 residents in the area immediately surrounding the site participated in a survey telling us what uses they would like to see in the Box.

We subsequently held four focus groups with local residents to confirm the responses given in the survey. Survey respondents identified a range of potential uses that they would like to see in the Box, including a theatre, concert venue, food market, and events space.

Since then, we have consulted with local communities to understand their attitudes towards the design proposals and proposed building uses and functions and to capture further feedback on local priorities and aspirations that could be delivered as part of the proposals for the Box.

As part of the consultation process we have engaged with local residents, pupils at local schools, local stakeholders and ward councilors; through one-to-one meetings, public exhibitions and workshops, as well as online and through social media.

Over 950 people have been directly involved in the consultation process for the development of Five Kingdom Street thus far.

Consultation headlines

General support for the approach to the development and a mix of uses

High levels of support for a new pedestrian and cycle route through the building

High levels of support for proposals for a new public garden within the building

Support for the proposals for the Box. It was seen as something that could benefit local residents, workers and young people specifically. The local communities were asked to identify their preferences for uses that could be provided in the Box. The following uses were consistently cited:

- Entertainment (such as a cinema, theatre, or music and performance space)
- Sports and leisure
- Street food market

Priorities for development

We have sought to focus the benefits of the development in five key areas to create a lasting positive legacy for people living, working and spending time in and around Paddington Central.

.

.

.

.

.

Keep updated

In order to make sure that this development meets the aims and needs of the local community, feedback from local people is crucial and will inform the emerging plans for the development and what types of uses will be in the Box.

You can express an interest in, or leave feedback on, the proposals for Five Kingdom Street by following us on Twitter, Instagram, or emailing us at info@fivekingdomstreet.com.

For more information, as presented at the latest public consultation event in April 2019, please click here.